


Should've Been There

by fuzipenguin



Series: Making It Up as We Go [2]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 01:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8231387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzipenguin/pseuds/fuzipenguin
Summary: As it turns out, the twins aren't the only ones benefiting from this arrangement.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous asked: Can I ask the wonderful Fuzipenguin for something with both Prowl and the Twins?

**Sunstreaker. Sideswipe. Report to my office.**

     The twins looked at one another in surprise before Sideswipe responded **. Sir? We were just about to head out on patrol.**

**Your duties have been covered. Report to my office.**

**Ah…ok. We’ll be right there.**

     Prowl promptly ended the communication and the twins gave one another the side optic. “What did you do?” Sunstreaker demanded. 

     “Nothing! What did  _you_  do?” Sideswipe retorted. 

     “Not a thing. Maybe he’s reassigning us on some kind of mission?” Sunstreaker wondered as they fell into step with one another. 

     “Maybe,” Sideswipe said doubtfully. “But they got their afts handed to them yesterday; command normally doesn’t do missions so quickly after something like that. Would rather everyone heal up.”

     “Wish we had been here,” Sunstreaker said, frowning. “They could have sent someone else with Perceptor on his little field trip. We’d have been a lot more use here than protecting the nerd.”

     “Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Let’s just see what Prowl wants,” Sideswipe sighed. 

 

–-

 

     When they arrived at Prowl’s office, Sideswipe hesitantly poked his head inside the open door. “We’re here, sir.”

     Prowl looked up from whatever he was working on and waved them inside. “Thank you. Close the door, please.” 

     Once they did, they stood at attention in front of Prowl’s desk, more than a little confused. They knew a lot of Prowl’s expressions, although many of the other crew would be hard pressed to say the 2IC actually _had_ expressions. But they’d been ordered around and disciplined by Prowl for centuries; long exposure had taught them to read the nuances of his facial tics and doorwing movements. 

     Right now, Prowl wasn’t angry. If anything, he seemed… tired. His optics were dimmer than normal, the lines around his mouth more pronounced, and his doorwings practically drooped. 

 _We should have been here_ , Sunstreaker snarled over the bond, obviously coming to the same conclusion Sideswipe had. 

     “Sit,” Prowl instructed. 

     But when the twins moved to occupy the chairs in front of Prowl’s desk, he stopped them with an outstretched palm. “No. There.” 

     They followed gesture of his hand to the far corner of the room. Their corner. The place they came to when the purges got bad or the rumors hit a little too close to home. They didn’t visit often, maybe only a total of four or five times by now, but enough that they had claimed the tiny space as their own, even if Prowl didn’t know it. 

     Apparently he did, however. Because now there was a large, plush cushion there on the floor, with several pillows and blankets laid neatly at the end of it. 

     “You just want us to… sit?” Sunstreaker asked hesitantly. He nervously fidgeted in place and Sideswipe reached out to brush the backs of his fingers against his brother’s arm. 

     “Yes. You may sketch or read. Even quietly watch entertainment, if you prefer,” Prowl said, both explaining and leaving them even more confused. As they watched, a flicker of something desperate flitted across Prowl’s face and Sunstreaker relaxed beneath Sideswipe’s touch. 

 _I think he just wants… company?_  Sunstreaker ventured. 

     Sideswipe caught the minute tremble of a doorwing before it steadied again. _You may be right. I don’t think he wants anything else from us; he’s not like those other commanders._

     Sunstreaker tilted his head to the side and intently studied the 2IC. In wordless reply, Prowl’s shoulders straightened, and he raised his chin, giving them a subtle challenging look. 

     After a moment of silence, Sunstreaker nodded once and headed for the corner. Sideswipe lingered a moment, observing the relieved sag of Prowl’s sensory appendages and the further dimming of his optics. 

     No, he definitely wasn’t like some of the other commanders they’d had in the past. Despite his stony exterior, he cared. He cared about the troops, especially the ones lying in MedBay because of an order he had issued. 

     Maybe they were only seeing this from him because Jazz was laid up too. Or maybe it was because they had showed him a side of them they had only ever trusted to a few others before. And as such Prowl felt comfortable doing the same. 

     Nevertheless, it was no hardship to cuddle with his twin and provide silent support. 


End file.
